The Kellys and the O'Kellys eBook

Lynch, and that Barry had some show of justice on
his side; but he could not succeed. He knew that
Martin was a frank, honourable fellow, and that a
marriage with him would be the very thing most likely
to make Anty happy; and he was certain, moreover, that,
however anxious Martin might naturally be to secure
the fortune, he would take no illegal or even unfair
steps to do so. He felt that his client was a
ruffian of the deepest die: that his sole object
was to rob his sister, and that he had no case which
it would be possible even to bring before a jury.
His intention now was, merely to work upon the timidity
and ignorance of Anty and the other females, and to
frighten them with a bugbear in the shape of a criminal
indictment; and Daly felt that the work he was about
was very, very dirty work. Two or three times
on the road, he had all but made up his mind to tear
the letters he had in his pocket, and to drive at
once to Dunmore House, and tell Barry Lynch that he
would do nothing further in the case. And he would
have done so, had he not reflected that he had gone
so far with Moylan, that he could not recede, without
leaving it in the old rogue’s power to make
the whole matter public.

As he drove down the street of Dunmore, he endeavoured
to quiet his conscience, by reflecting that he might
still do much to guard Anty from the ill effects of
her brother’s rapacity; and that at any rate
he would not see her property taken from her, though
she might be frightened out of her matrimonial speculation.

He wanted to see the widow, Martin, and Anty, and
if possible to see them, at first, separately; and
fortune so far favoured him that, as he got off the
car, he saw our hero standing at the inn door.

“Ah! Mr Daly,” said he, coming up
to the car and shaking hands with the attorney, for
Daly put out his hand to him—­“how
are you again?—­I suppose you’re going
up to the house? They say you’re Barry’s
right hand man now. Were you coming into the
inn?”

“Why, I will step in just this minute; but I’ve
a word I want to spake to you first.”

“To me!” said Martin.

“Yes, to you, Martin Kelly: isn’t
that quare?” and then he gave directions to
the driver to put up the horse, and bring the car round
again in an hour’s time. “D’
you remember my telling you, the day we came into
Dunmore on the car together, that I was going up to
the house?”

“Faith I do, well; it’s not so long since.”

“And do you mind my telling you, I didn’t
know from Adam what it was for, that Barry Lynch was
sending for me?”

“And I remember that, too.”

“And that I tould you, that when I did know
I shouldn’t tell you?”

“Begad you did, Mr Daly; thim very words.”

“Why then, Martin, I tould you what wasn’t
thrue, for I’m come all the way from Tuam, this
minute, to tell you all about it.”

Martin turned very red, for he rightly conceived that
when an attorney came all the way from Tuam to talk
to him, the tidings were not likely to be agreeable.